"Thank you Trisha for sharing with the group," Jackie said. "Misery would you like to go next?"
"I have a question," May asked timidly. "Why are you named Misery?"
Misery furrowed her brow before sighing.
"It was a nickname from when I was a kid," she grumbled. "A lot kids thought I was scary and mean."
"Huh, no shit." Trisha interrupted, Misery immediately staring daggers at the kitsune.
"You want to let me finish or am I going to have to turn you into a rug?" Misery growled.
Trisha quieted, instinctively, ducking behind Fukushu. The nine tailed kitsune scowled at Misery.
"Okay everyone relax," Jackie said calmly. "There's no need for violence." The group settled, Jackie turning to Misery and encouraging her to continue.
"So like I said I didn't really get along with kids my age," she sighed. "I was a bit of a loner. It wasn't always like that, but I...kind of freaked out one time on my best friend."
"What do you mean freaked out?" May asked.
"It's stupid in retrospect," Misery sighed. "But, when I was a kid I was best friends with Claudia Harris."
"Claudia?" Fukushu asked in surprise.
"Not the one you know," Misery said quickly. "The one from my timeline. She doesn't exist anymore, not really. She merged with the Claudia Harris you know."
"I'm confused," Trisha said slowly. "Can you elaborate on the whole timeline thing?"
"Ugh fine," Misery groaned. "Basically I come from a different timeline. It's very similar to this one except magic and the supernatural is out in the open. There are or more accurately were doppelgangers of a lot of different people. Take the Mary Elise in this timeline. She's a bit older than I am, but she's my doppelganger or I'm hers. It gets a bit confusing. What isn't confusing though is, magic is everywhere and so is the supernatural. My hometown, we have supernatural races everywhere. Werewolves, mummies, vampires, anthros."
"Anthros?"
"People who willingly turn themselves into animal hybrids," Misery answered. "An entire community of animal people, like the Island of Dr. Moreau. They all live in or near Circe's Amusement Park. Jack Martin kinda protects them."
"The Guardian of Darkness," Fukushu stated.
"Yeah him," Misery replied. "Anyway, like I said I was friends with Claudia. Then, when we were in fourth grade, I got invited her house. Nothing out of the ordinary, we did it all the time."
"So what happened?" May asked.
"She tried to kiss me."
The group went silent for a moment. Slowly they began to understand. Misery wasn't ready for that, which led to a falling out between the friends. Taking a breath, the auburn haired wizard now gazed up at the ceiling.
"It was the start of a very rough patch," she sighed. "Claudia and I got into a fight on the way out the door. Knocked her dad over in the process. He sustained some pretty nasty injuries in the Marines. Lost a leg, crippled arm, massive scars all over his body. He tried to break up the fight. I pushed him over."
Misery took a breath, the memories flooding back. She hadn't thought of any of this in decades. It was like reopening an old wound. Reaching for a kleenex, the usually dower wizard began to show signs of sadness as she dabbed the tears away from her eyes. Still, with everything surfacing she felt the need to say it, hoping to expel the pain she felt.
"We stopped talking," she said. "Which was rough because a few months later my dad died in a car accident." Misery sighed heavily, her eyes glossy as a small smile spread across her face. "I loved my dad. Guess you could say I was a bit of a daddy's girl. When he died, I felt like my entire world broke. Spent the next few years by myself mostly. Only person who even gave me the time of day was Karen."
"Who's Karen?" May asked softly.
"She was my best friend," Misery said. "Quiet girl, glasses, mousy. Looking at her you would of thought she was scared of her own shadow. Turned out she was the bravest person I knew. Hell of alot stronger than I was."
"Why do you say that?" Trisha asked.
Misery now held up her arms, both Trisha and May gasping as they noticed the scars along her wrists and forearms.
"Tried to end it a few times," she said, her voice almost nonchalant as she spoke of the attempts to end her own life. "Never could get it right. Karen though, she stuck by me. Even when my mom had me in intensive therapy. Needless to say, suicidal teenage girl isn't exactly real popular in middle school and high school. Karen didn't care though. She saw something in me I didn't even see."
"What happened to her?" Fukushu asked.
Misery grew quiet, her features darkened as her eyes bore into Fukushu. The kitsune surprised by the malice in this woman's face as her voice deepened.
"You killed her!"
"What," Fukushu exclaimed. "No..I did not!"
"The Timeline War," Misery spat. "It was right after a bunch of us from the Magic Timeline began training in magic. It was exciting at first. Kellie Pendragon helped us heal a lot of old wounds. Brought everyone together. For the first time in years...I had friends. A lot of friends. It was a brief moment of happiness. Then you showed up with those.....things!"
"What things?" Trisha asked.
"They were called Voids," Fukushu sighed. "During the war, I pledged myself to an entity known as Villar. He was a being of immeasurable strength, bent on conquering all timelines and molding them in his image."
"Why would you even think about doing something like that?!" Trisha exclaimed.
"Vengeance," Fukushu growled. "For what the wizards did to my sister Yomi!"
"I wasn't part of that," Misery countered, her voice rising in anger. "And neither was Karen and that bastard friend of yours Casseus put her in a fucking coma she never woke up from! For three years I watched her waste away, praying she would wake up! In the end, when she finally died, I was almost relieved. She didn't deserve that!"
The group went quiet, tears slowly leaking from Misery's eyes as she stared at Fukushu. For a moment, the kitsune was quiet, his gaze never breaking with the dark wizard as he thought of his past.
"You are right," he said softly. "Your friend didn't deserve that. I....apologize for her fate. I...I was consumed with vengeance, rage. My sister. My little sister who I cherished as much as you obviously cherished your friend was cruelly taken. Yomi didn't deserve her fate and neither did Karen. I know my apology means nothing to you, but I am sincere in that regards. I realize my anger has brought a great deal of pain to many and I must atone for my sins."
The group went eerily quiet, looking between the penitent kitsune and the sorrowful wizard. No one knew what to say. Jackie now cleared her throat, turning to Misery.
"If this is too much we can end group for today," she said softly.
"No," Misery said firmly. "No, I'm okay. I'm still pissed at that furry bastard...but, it helps that he's taking responsibility."
"Would you like to talk about Lilith?" Jackie asked.
Misery's expression changed. The rage melting away as a conglomeration of emotions etched themselves onto her face. Joy, sadness, hope. Each seemed to be fighting for control as the dark wizard spoke of the woman she viewed as a daughter.
"Lilith," she whispered, tears once more leaking from her eyes. She quickly wiped them, sniffing as she composed herself. "Our meeting was pretty much by accident. This was back when The Normal were active. They tried to recruit her, thought she would make a perfect assassin. I saved her. Ended up turning the guys who were after her into paste, but when I saw her I realized something."
"What?" Jackie asked.
"She was me," Misery smirked. "Not in the doppelganger sense, but...I saw myself in her. I...I wanted to protect her, keep her from experiencing the same pain I went through. I wanted her to be happy, unlike me."
"Is she?" Trisha asked.
"Yeah," Misery smiled, a fresh tear rolling down her cheek. "Unbelievably yeah. I don't know how but, she was happy..a normal kid doing normal high school stuff. She had friends, fought on and off with a girlfriend she adored. The time we had when she was in high school, those were the happiest days of our lives."
"So what happened?" May asked.
"She died," Misery whispered, her eyes red from crying. "Pancreatic cancer. She was nineteen. Nineteen years old! She couldn't even get radiation treatment because she had gotten pregnant. I had to sit and watch and lie that she would be okay....we both knew she wouldn't."
Misery once more reached for a kleenex, wiping her eyes once more before blowing her nose.
"I lost it," she said, her voice hollow and mournful. "Once again my world was shattered. I...I couldn't take it, lost my mind, went down a dark path. Everyone saw it, knew I couldn't take care of the baby no matter how much I wanted to. I even made a bid to take the throne in Hell that Lilith vacated when she died. Everyone knew it would end badly if I did. I didn't listen, but I knew that too."
Misery paused, taking a breath to compose herself before continuing. All within the room enraptured by the woman's story.
"I lost the battle with Annie Pendragon," she sighed. "Annie, the girl my Lilith loved with all her heart. I almost killed her, and it hit me as we battled. I was killing one of the few things left in this world who loved Lilith as much as I did. Maybe I threw the fight, I don't know, but I lost and found myself alone once more."
"You couldn't go back home?" Trisha asked.
"No," Misery said sadly. "Everyone thought I was too dangerous. They were right. I couldn't be around anyone anymore. All I wanted was to inflict pain on people. I couldn't raise a baby with that much hate in my heart. So, I wandered the Earth, and hurt anything that hurt anyone else."
"But Lilith is alive again now," Jackie stated. "You don't have to hurt anybody."
"My days of acting as a vengeful vigilante are over," Misery said firmly. "But mark my words. Anybody who threatens Lilith and Alyssa, they'll find out real quick why creatures in the Magic Timeline fear Misery."
"I'm sorry."
Misery paused as she heard the voice. Turning she could see Trisha, the kitsune's head hung low.
"What was that?"
"I'm sorry," she repeated, her voice trembling with sadness. "I...I didn't know how much Lilith and Alyssa meant to you. I didn't know how much pain you had been through. If...if I had known, maybe... maybe I could have talked Mr. Amberhill out of targeting the Hoti family and Lilith. I didn't...I didn't mean to hurt you."
Misery was dumbstruck. She had almost forgotten that in her rage, she had nearly killed Trisha. Trisha, a kitsune whose life was almost as miserable as hers. Neither one of them deserved the fate they had been dealt. In her madness, Misery had almost become the monsters she herself had spent years destroying.
Slowly she now stood, taking measured steps towards the obviously frightened Trisha. Bowing her head she now reaches out as she hugged the kitsune.
"I'm sorry too Trisha," she said softly. "I never should have tried to attack you."